I've taken up cycling, and the magazines talk about technical clothing and using different layers, including a base layer. I was struggling to get my head round what a base layer was - but I went and bought these anyway. Effectively they are a pair of thin body hugging long underwear. They are very comfortable, very well fitting with seams designed not to irritate or annoy you whilst being very active. The most impressive thing though is what is known as the 'wicking' ability. This means that if you sweat the sweat doesn't stay close to your skin leaving you damp and uncomfortable. What it does instead is transport it to the outside of the garment, where it can evaporate. There are different grades for use in different conditions. The 'dry' ones are perhaps the most versatile, and they are rated for use from -15 C to +15 C.
Now the most important thing about this is that it actually works. A couple of days ago I did a 32 mile bike run in temperatures just below zero and these kept me dry and comfortable. I only had these on with a pair of cheap cycling tights on top and was perfectly warm.
Getting out on the bike has been a real thought because of the weather, and I have been tending to opt out and go to the gym instead. I also bought the 'dry' top so with the two of these combined I'll definitely increase my cold weather cycling more than I would have done through the winter.
So at the moment I can't rate them highly enough.
